Morgan Plus 8: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Morgan Plus 8 passes its MOT first time more often than the average UK car, by 11.6 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 733 individual Morgan Plus 8 tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 88.3% first-time pass rate means roughly 12 in every 100 Morgan Plus 8s presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is better than average, so a well-kept example is a reasonably safe used buy. The average Morgan Plus 8 tested had covered 33,565 miles and was built around 1997.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Morgan Plus 8 sits 11.6 points above the national average, ranked 958 of 2,005 models. On one bought as repairable salvage, the mechanical side is less likely to spring surprises, so your repair estimate should hold up reasonably well.

Before you bid: run the lot through the analyzer, check the car's own record, check the mileage, decode the VIN, and if it carries a marker use the write-off value calculator. Or compare it against another model.

Looking at a specific Morgan Plus 8 rather than the model in general? The free check covers its MOT and mileage history, and the full HPI report confirms the insurance write-off category, outstanding finance and whether it is recorded stolen, from licensed data for 5 credits. Already own one that has been damaged? Work out whether fixing it beats selling it with the repair or scrap calculator, and see recorded closing bids for damaged Morgan Plus 8s at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Morgan Plus 8

1. Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 2.2% of tests (2.94x the national rate for this defect)
2. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 1.8% of tests
3. Emissions levels exceed default limits, 1.6% of tests (4.63x the national rate for this defect)
4. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 1.4% of tests
5. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 1.2% of tests (1.19x the national rate for this defect)
6. Brakes imbalance across an axle such that the braking effort from any wheel is less than 70% of the maximum effort recorded from the other wheel on the same axle., 1.1% of tests (2.09x the national rate for this defect)
7. A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 1.1% of tests
8. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 0.7% of tests
9. Emissions levels exceed the manufacturer's specified limits, 0.7% of tests (2.51x the national rate for this defect)
10. Stop lamps all missing or inoperative, 0.7% of tests (8.28x the national rate for this defect)

From 732 DVSA-tracked Morgan Plus 8 tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 2.13% of these flagged Morgan Plus 8 defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Morgan Plus 8

An advisory doesn't fail the car - the tester flags it as worth watching, but it still passes. A different list from the failures above: what testers are noting on a Morgan Plus 8 before it actually fails on it.

1. A wheel bearing with excessive play, 2.3% of tests (3.58x the national rate for this advisory)
2. Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users, 10.8% of tests (1.94x the national rate for this advisory)
3. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 4.6% of tests
4. A tyre seriously damaged, 2.9% of tests
5. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 1.9% of tests, also fails
6. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 1.8% of tests
7. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 1.2% of tests
8. Excessive fluctuation in brake effort through each wheel revolution., 1.2% of tests (1.45x the national rate for this advisory)
9. Free play in the steering, measured at the rim of the steering wheel is excessive, 1% of tests (5.02x the national rate for this advisory)
10. A brake hose ferrule excessively corroded, 1% of tests

From 732 DVSA-tracked Morgan Plus 8 tests, 2024.

Other Morgan models

• Morgan 4/4 - 89.3%
• Morgan Plus 4 - 91.1%
• Morgan Roadster - 92.2%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Audi Q4 E-Tron S Line 40 - 88.3%
• BMW Ix3 Premier Edition - 88.3%
• Vauxhall Corsa Sri Nav S/S - 88.3%
• Audi E-Tron Black Edition 55 Quat - 88.3%
• Mercedes-Benz A 250 Amg Line Edition E Auto - 88.3%
• Volvo V60 R-Design B4 Mhev Auto - 88.3%

If this car is a salvage or write-off

• What does Cat N mean? Category N explained
• What does Cat S mean? Category S explained
• Cat S vs Cat N: the real differences
• Do you need an HPI check on a car you know is a write-off?

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate